Horsebridge House

Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 1 SC452713 Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private national company operates this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/11/2018 Full Good 07/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure the children’s bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas are decorated and maintained to a good standard. The home needs to be a warm and welcoming environment. 17/03/20

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person, must ensure that if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, challenge senior members of the organisation to ensure that the home is appropriately decorated and maintained. 17/03/20

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 17/03/20 Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 4 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that gaps in employment, reasons for leaving and staff qualifications are checked and verified. 17/03/20

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children; administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment; help children to manage long-term conditions and where necessary meet specific individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12) In particular, ensure that children who have sensory needs as a result of their disability receive the necessary assessment and support.  Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their

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Recommendations

best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress with their behaviour and emotional development because of living at this home. For example, one child who is unable to live with his family because of his high-risk behaviours has reduced his physical aggression to others and his inappropriate behaviours. This is as a result of the consistent and nurturing responses of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff recognise the importance of education and the need to ensure that all children attend school consistently. However, two children of compulsory school age are not attending school full time. The manager has plans in place to move towards this and is aware that further work is required to help children attend full-time education Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 5 to improve their social and intellectual ability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have nurturing and consistent relationships with children. Staff ensure that important conversations take place with children about their wishes and feelings, family, relationships at school, education, how to keep themselves safe and their worries. Subsequently, children improve their behaviours and learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, one child told the inspector during the inspection about the risks strangers can pose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works with psychiatrists, social workers and therapists to ensure that behaviour management plans are centred on the individual needs of children. They are nurturing, sensitive and child-friendly documents that assist staff in understanding the challenging behaviours of children and how to respond. However, further work is required to ensure that children access specialist assessment relating to their sensory needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensure that children enjoy a wide range of activities individually and with friends. For example, children are encouraged to attend local youth and music clubs and to spend weekends out with friends at soft play or out for lunch. Staff help children appreciate the benefits of the countryside. For example, children enjoy long walks, visit waterfalls and the beach. Consequently, children receive personalised care from staff who encourage their independence and fun.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children at this home are kept safe. This is because of the thorough oversight and knowledge of the registered manager. Staff are well informed about child protection procedures. Allegations and concerns are responded to within statutory timescales.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager ensures that safeguarding records are organised and comprehensive. For example, she keeps chronologies for all significant incidents relating to each child within the home. Incidents have clear actions for follow up and prioritise the welfare of children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have not been any complaints or incidents of missing from home since the last inspection. In the last six months, incidents of restraint have reduced. Since the last inspection, there have been two incidents of children being held on the floor. The manager has provided in-depth review of these incidents and has completed a ‘lessons learned’ review with staff about what could be done differently to avoid this practice. It has not been used since.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff spoke positively about the number of changes to the care provided to children since the manager has been in post. They described her as ‘highly committed, knowledgeable and amazing’. Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 6 The manager and responsible individual have requested that the home is redecorated and modernised and that new garden toys are provided. However, the organisation has failed to action these requests. For example, bathrooms in the home are not decorated to a good standard and one smells of damp. The kitchen needs some modernisation and redecoration, as do some children’s bedrooms. Managers should ensure that they provide effective challenge to senior leaders so that children enjoy a warm and homely environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Safer recruitment records are well organised. References are checked and verified, with responses held on file. However, gaps in employment are not recorded as checked and verified by the registered manager. This could place children at risk if these checks are not prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that staff are up to date with the necessary mandatory training. Nonetheless, some staff do not have training that will benefit children in their care, including training about autism spectrum disorder, ligature training, the ‘Prevent’ duty and county lines. This could mean that staff lack the necessary skills to care for children.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Community Service Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC452713 8 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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